I Words that Wound: The Harms of Hate Speech
Richard Delgado, Jean Stefancic · 2019
Many people speak loosely about hate speech, without specifying what they mean or distinguishing the various types of utterance that might be under consideration. The different types of hate speech threaten different kinds of harm. The one-on-one kind can be the most shocking. The harms of face-to-face hate speech have been the most closely studied, although recently, subtle, or educated, hate speech and its effect on the fabric of society and the life chances of the groups it tarnishes has come under scrutiny. The harms of hate speech include its adverse impacts—sometimes devastating ones—on the victim, the speaker, and society at large. The harms of hate speech go beyond damage to the psyches and bodies of its victims. It can also affect their pecuniary prospects and life chances. Finally, racial hate speech harms the perpetrator and society as a whole.